This invention relates to a tool for use in gravel packing wells. More specifically, this invention relates to a tool for the retention and release of a gravel pack screen assembly when gravel packing wells.
In wells in geological formations where the production of sand from the formation along with the liquids and gases being produced therefrom is a problem, it is well known in the art to install a screen in the production tubing and pack gravel around the screen to prevent the sand from the formation flowing into the production tubing. In such an arrangement, a gravel pack screen assembly is run into the formation on a string of tubing to the desired location and gravel, typically coarse sand mixed in a gelled liquid, is pumped down to the exterior of the gravel pack screen assembly to fill the area between the screen assembly and the formation. After a sufficient amount of gravel has been pumped down to the exterior of the gravel pack screen assembly to completely fill the area between the screen assembly and the formation, the screen assembly is released from the tubing string and the tubing removed from the well with production tubing subsequently being installed in the well.
Typical prior art tools used to retain and subsequently release gravel pack screen assemblies have required the rotation of the tubing string to release the tool and tubing attached thereto from the gravel pack screen assembly. If rotation of the tubing is required to release the tool and tubing string from the gravel pack screen assembly, this means that equipment capable of rotating the tubing string must be provided at the well.
While hydraulic releasing tools, which do not require rotation of the tubing string to operate, have been employed on squeeze-type and wash-down gravel packing jobs, prior art circulation-type gravel packing jobs, based on retrievable gravel packers, require rotation of the tubing string to release from the packed screen at the end of the job.